LB: Sorry for the long wait, everyone!
(Muffled noise comes from storeroom cupboard)
LB: Dawn's stuck in there because the vampires wanted their revenge... I'm not letting her out because Zero threatened to unstuff my pillow. ^^
Zero: That's what I did.
LB: Anyways, on with the show! Please leave reviews. -smile-
Chapter 11: My Angel
-Nakano Ayumi-
Party? What's a party? Pardon me, because I do know well what party is, but I just think it's useless to attend such a time-wasting activity. But for the sake of Takuma, Yuuki (whose birthday it was) and the rest of my vampire friends, I would attend with a fake smile plastered to my face and an air of charm.
Although I never did promise to wear a dress.
I lay on my bed, staring at the painted starry sky on the ceiling of my room. The over-sized picture was calming, and it soothed my frayed nerves and burning throat. How I longed to bite into a living creature, and drain it's life...
I picked up my pillow to muffle my cry of longing.
Out of sudden, a very flustered Ruka barged into my room without even knocking. Where do manners go these days?
Usually, I could've heard them and easily escaped from the room, but I had been too busy imagining what it would feel like to have my fangs into something that's alive. Maybe Ruka'll do...
"Ayumi! Look at the time! It's four thirty and you're not ready yet? The party starts at six, SHARP!" Ruka shrieked while pointing at the clock on my nightstand.
I groaned. "Ruka, bathing takes 5 minutes, drying my hair takes approximately 4 minutes, applying simple make-up takes 3 minutes, another 3 minutes for choosing the dress and wearing it. Total time taken would be 15 minutes. So, I don't see what's the point of getting ready now," I said with a sigh, and rolled over on my other side so my back was to her. It wasn't like I needed a bed, but sometimes I liked the comfortable mattress too much to let it go.
Ruka's eyebrows shot up. "Did you just say simple make-up?"
Rima, who I hadn't notice walk in, raised her eyebrow and shook her head, "Ayumi, run when you still can."
"Why should I?"
I propped up one elbow and turned back over to face them, pretending to be buried in one of those manga Takuma forced upon me. Do fictional vampires really turn into dust in the sun? That's very interesting. Then I almost regretted my words when Ruka pounced on me and grabbed the collar of my shirt. "I am going to take charge of your makeover, are you clear?" she snarled into my face. Her eyes pierced into mine and I gulped. The wonder of a fashionista! She could make someone as deadly as me feel afraid. It was sort of a new feeling for me, and somehow, I liked it. It made me feel more… normal?
"Go take a bath!"
I stared at her. She commanded, "Now!"
I cleared my throat, "Excuse me, you're blocking the way."
I stared pointedly at the doorway to my bathroom behind her, and she quickly straightened and moved aside. "Now, will you please go take a shower while Rima and I go grab all the things we got today in the shopping trip you never showed up in?"
I winced, and shivered involuntarily. The facial expression she had when she said the word 'things' was so witch-like. It was as though she was going to take her torturing gadgets. With another shudder, I grabbed my towel and obediently trotted off to the bathroom, hoping that if I were a good girl, she wouldn't torture me as much.
After a quick and soothing bath, I put on my fluffy robe and sat on the edge of my bed.
This time, I heard their footsteps loud and clear before they even entered my room. The door clicked open and they came in, each carrying two huge paper bags with vampire ease.
Rima took out a few sets of clothing and laid them on my bed. Next to her, Ruka was glancing from my bed to me, clearly assessing which pieces of cloth would suit me more. Their eyebrows were scrunched up in concentration - a comical expression - so, I followed their gaze to the few set of clothes on my bed, and my eyes widened in horror. Then I remembered the theme: Winter Wonderland.
I stuttered, "You… you aren't expecting me… to… to wear these?" I held up one metallic pink tube top and the leather mini skirt in disgust. It didn't even suit the theme!
Ruka took both items from my hand and threw them back into the paper bag. "Of course we don't, darling," she said sweetly. "Now, let's see..."
Both of them continued rummaging their paper bags and holding the dresses - with horror, they are all dresses - up against me, and finally they settled on an intricately woven white floor-length silk dress with real diamonds - who paid for this? Because that person was going to have to pay for more than a thousand dollar dress - and golden thread - I'd bet that it was real gold; oh boy, that person was going to suffer - stitched along the neckline in the design of a dozen flowers, scattered and held together by only a single thread. It was a long and loose sleeved dress, just off the shoulders, and ruffles went all the way down the middle front of my skirt. Ruka tied a ribbon - with a dark red rose that was dusted with gold pinned on- around neck, purring that it was Takuma's request (apparently I'd never smelled so appallingly luscious ever before, and Takuma was protective that I would be bitten before he could taste my blood. It's sweet... annoying, but sweet). Rima gave me gold-dusted pure white small heels to wear. Though I put up much fight against the attire, the mere sentence of "Takuma will love you in this" was enough to make me back down.
Then, Rima took some of my hair from the side of my head to braid while Ruka applied light makeup - at my insistence and to her annoyance. Ruka finished up with my mascara - the last touch-up she added - just as Rima was clasping my braided ends around my newly curled hair with a red and gold leaf. I had had my eyes closed all this while, and I never looked at myself in the dress, afraid that I might panic and lose control of myself. Something was placed on my head, and I identified it as a golden headband, its ends not exactly meeting, but just passing around each other. Tiny rubies were set at the very ends, sparkling away.
"Here, open your eyes."
Ruka sounded excited, so I did, slowly, then my eyes shot open as I glimpsed the angel in the mirror. No, she wasn't an angel. It was me, but I had lost the look of a half-mad half-breed, and my usually glowing red eyes were a much softer gray - why were they gray? But I didn't know.
My hand shaking, I reached out to touch the girl in the mirror.
Then, I turned on Ruka and threw my arms around her. Tears were on the verge of flowing out when she reminded me, "Oh my. Ayumi! Don't you dare to smudge the make-up I applied. Imagine all my hard work going down the drain," she mumbled, clearly embarrassed by my act of affection.
"Thank you. Thank you!" I said sincerely to the both of them, letting Ruka go to go and hug Rima.
She patted my back awkwardly, "Ayumi, you are beautiful. Just with a little magic done by the Night Duo, you're ready to go out and make every guy drool over you." She added in a whisper, "Kaname-sama too."
All three of us giggled and they quickly went back to their rooms to change themselves - I was touched that they decided to do me over first before they went to change themselves. By 5.45 pm, I was out of the room and was on my way to the Ballroom Hall, where the party was being held. Takuma agreed to meet me there, as I knew he would be busy helping Kaname doing this and that. He was too nice for his own good.
Halfway there, a scent hit my nose and I identified it immediately. Kanaye's. He was looking for me.
Worry nudging my head, I walked into the doorway of the ballroom with the other guests, where quiet music was already playing.
--
-No POV-
Takuma saw her coming in, the light of his life, and his jaw dropped at the sight of her. Indeed, all the males (except for Kaname, who had eyes for no one but Yuuki) had turned their heads at her entrance. His eyes ran over her, from her golden headband to her gold-dusted shoes, and he smiled. He didn't notice the look of worry cross her face as he stepped forward to meet her.
"Ayumi," he said with a smile, and proffered his elbow. Ayumi - who had managed to arrange her features into a relaxed smile - took it, and he led her over to where Yuuki and Kaname were sitting with Aido's family.
Aido's father, Reiichi, spotted them as they came together, arms linked. A smile spread across his face, and he addressed Takuma when they were within earshot. "This is the fiancee, is she? Very good choice, Ichijo-sama."
He felt Ayumi's confusion when the sentence came out his mouth, and he just smiled.
"Arigato, Aido-sama," Takuma said respectfully to him, bowing slightly.
Reiichi turned to Ayumi, and bowed elegantly to her, one hand crossed over his chest. "Good evening, my lady. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"
Ayumi's startled eyes flicked to Takuma's and he nodded once, tightly. She turned back to Reiichi, and said in a clear voice, "My name is Nakano Ayumi."
Reiichi frowned for a moment, and Ayumi seemed to stop breathing for a moment, but he just smiled again and said, "I don't think I've heard of you before, my lady."
Takuma cut in before she could answer, "Her family was very protective of her, and kept her locked up in their house. Only recently, when her parents passed on and she managed to escape from that imprisonment, have we met each other. And I daresay I am lucky to meet her." He gave her a warm, loving smile, and Hanabusa - from the table - caught the look, and coughed to hide laughter. Kain sighed and stepped on his cousin's foot, making him yelp in pain.
Reiichi ignored his son's antics. "I see," he said interestedly, staring hard at Ayumi. She stepped slightly closer to Takuma, but the movement wasn't lost on Reiichi - he raised his eyebrows, but smiled again. "A pleasure to meet you, my lady," he told her, and stepped aside.
"The pleasure was mine," she replied calmly, and allowed Takuma to steer her to the empty seat next to Yuuki's. Yuuki's eyes lit up when she saw Ayumi in the dress. "Oh, good! You're wearing the dress!"
Ayumi's eyes narrowed slightly, but no death threats exited her mouth because Kaname was looking their way. He must've read the insults spilling from her mind, however, because he raised his eyebrows, and coughed.
The time passed, and Takuma had the pleasure of dancing with his love a few times, and other times with other nobles who didn't look exactly happy that he was taken. Nor were the men who danced with his Ayumi - anyone could tell that the noble dancing with her now was trying his best to win her over, but she looked slightly bored. When the song was over, Takuma saw her disappear into the crowd. He let go the hands of the noble he was currently dancing with, excusing himself - and ignoring the pout she gave him - to go chase Ayumi.
He saw her disappear out onto the balcony, and slipped after her.
"Ayumi?"
She turned, and looked at him.
He gave her a smile, and joined her behind the railing, staring up at the stars.
"Beautiful," he whispered to the sky. The stars sparkled back at him. Ayumi gave a small noise that was halfway a whimper and a choke, and he turned to look at her. "What's wrong?" he asked her tenderly, taking her hand.
He was surprised when she withdrew that hand, and looked up with tears glimmering in her eyes.
Her full lips quivered, and she whispered, "I'm so sorry."
And she whirled around, and, with surprising agility, leaped over the railing and into the darkness.
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